Couple Poses: 21 Posing Ideas for Beautiful Couples Photography

Looking for some couple poses to spice up your next photoshoot?

I’ve got you covered.

Because in this article, I share 21 of my favorite couple posing ideas – perfect for engagement sessions, wedding sessions, maternity sessions, and more. I also include example illustrations so you know exactly what each pose should look like in action.

By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be ready to handle a couple photoshoot, whether it’s casual or formal, indoors or out.

Let’s do this.

1. The intimate pose

Let’s start off with a universally excellent couples pose:

The two partners stand face to face but turn their heads toward the camera. Then one partner puts an arm on the other partner’s chest, like this:

This pose is perfect for engagement and wedding sessions. Make sure you capture a mix of vertical and horizontal portraits!

2. Looking into one another’s eyes

For this pose, simply ask the couple to stand very close to one another – the closer the better! – and look directly into one another’s eyes. For an even more romantic effect, ask them to touch foreheads.

Don’t be afraid to zoom in and crop extra tight, and be sure to play around with variations. For instance, you might ask the couple to both close their eyes, to put their hands on one another’s faces, and so on.

3. Hugging from behind

This is a very easy and cordial pose that works well for weddings and other formal photoshoots.

Ask one partner to stand behind the other, then wrap the front partner in an embrace:

The couple may look straight into the camera or at each other. They can kiss for a more emotive shot.

4. Holding from behind

This is a fun and loving couple pose, with one partner standing behind the other while holding onto their shoulders:

Pay attention to hand positioning; it should be simple and natural. Ask the partner in front to hold their hands over the hands around their neck. And for an especially romantic effect, ask the partner in back to put their chin on the front partner’s shoulder.

5. Holding from behind (casual)

This is a more casual variation on the previous pose. One partner should hold the other from behind, but their right arm should loop over the front person’s shoulder while their left arm drops down across their stomach:

Note that the couple doesn’t need to look into the camera. For the best results, ask them to interact with each other by talking, offering flirtatious looks, laughing, etc. Then be ready with your camera to capture the magic!

6. Holding from behind and looking out

This pose creates a very romantic couple photo, and in my experience, it works best when you’re doing an outdoor session with some beautiful open space in the background.

Ask one partner to hug the other partner from behind, then make sure you take a few steps back and to the side. The goal is to capture the couple looking out toward a field, lake, or distant horizon, so make sure you don’t get too far back. For the best results, you should capture each person’s eye; otherwise, the shot will seem impersonal.

7. Looking up

This couple pose is common – it’s a simple hug – but the trick is to capture it from an unusual angle:

I recommend you find some elevation and shoot your subjects from above. You might use a ladder, some stairs, a balcony, or – if you’re shooting in the wilderness – a large rock. The higher you can get, the better!

8. Holding hands

This simple couple photo pose is a bit more formal, though it can work in casual situations, too. Ask the partners to hold hands, lean their heads against one another, and turn away from the camera:

It’s a pose that works well outdoors with some open space in the background. It’s especially nice at sunset; if you can position the couple above the horizon, you’ll be able to capture some truly stunning silhouettes.

9. The gentle, staggered pose

This is an easy-to-create pose that makes for lovely full-height shots. It works great for more formal sessions, though you can always try it out when doing more casual couple photography, too.

Ask one partner to stand behind the other, then ask them to take a step outward for a staggered effect:

10. The piggyback pose

This one’s a fun pose, and it’s perfect for engagement photoshoots with young couples.

(That said, don’t assume that it only works for younger people. If an older couple feels fine with the piggyback pose, then by all means, go for it!)

Start by having one partner jump on the other partner’s back. Then try different framings; take full-height shots, half-height shots, and close-ups. Oh, and be sure to capture the partners’ faces, because this pose pretty much always results in a lot of laughter!

11. Standing face to face and kissing

This couples pose is perfect for engagement photoshoots, as it’s a great way to capture the affection the partners felt when they first met.

Simply ask the two partner’s to kiss (though be sure to direct their arms and hands!):

It’s a pose that you can do anywhere, though it works especially well in crowded places, such as famous monuments, markets, and even train stations.

12. Jumping and hugging

Here’s another fun pose, perfect for enthusiastic couples on an engagement photoshoot.

Ask one partner to jump into the other partner’s arms:

The crucial part is getting the leg positioning right on the jumping subject; each leg should be bent at different angles for the best effect (see the example above).

13. Walking and holding hands

Ask the partners to hold hands, look at one another, and walk toward your camera. Make sure they start at a good distance – that way, you’ll have time to fire off a handful of shots before they get close.

I do recommend you shoot in burst mode, as the majority of your shots wil be ruined by awkward leg movements. (The second part of your job is to select photos with the best leg movements and positioning, which can be tough!)

14. Walking and holding each other

This one’s another pose with a walking couple, though it’s slightly more intimate than the previous idea. The couple should walk close together, as before, but they should hold on to each other:

As with the previous pose, you’ll need to take a number of shots – burst mode is your friend! – and choose the ones with the best leg positions.

15. Walking away from the camera

If you liked the “walking and holding hands” couples pose that I proposed above, then this one is nearly the same – just with a different camera angle!

Simply ask your subjects to walk with their arms around one another. (Holding hands works, too!) Then stand behind them, and fire off a series of shots as they walk away from your camera.

It’s a simple pose, but one that looks amazing when done right.

16. Lying on the ground

Looking for unconventional couple poses? Then try this one, where the partners lie on the ground and look toward the camera:

Make sure they get close together for a more intimate effect, and ask them to lift their upper bodies a bit and use their arms for support.

I’d recommend that you, as the photographer, get down very low. Feel free to shoot through grass and other vegetation, and if you can, widen your aperture to f/2.8 or beyond to create a shallow depth of field effect.

17. Lying on the ground and looking at each other

This pose is similar to the one shared above, except the couple should look toward one another:

In other to make this one work, you’ll need to put a little space between partners. Again, use a low angle, and be sure to pay attention to the partners’ feet; you don’t want a distracting foot or two sticking out of a head.

18. Cuddling on the ground

Here’s another intimate couple pose, one that features some nice asymmetry:

One partner should be positioned slightly above, while the other should set their head against the ground. (If you’re shooting outdoors, then a blanket can be a big help!) You can experiment with different head turns; one partner can look toward the camera, both partners can look at each other, or both partners can look toward the camera.

19. Lying together, looking up

This pose is a casual, fun pose that’s perfect for engagement sessions. It’s also very easy to pull off, so it works great for subjects who aren’t totally comfortable in front of the camera.

Simply ask the partners to lie on the ground, heads next to one another:

In general, you get the best results when shooting outside, though it’s possible to get a good result when working indoors, too.

20. Sitting together on a sofa

If you’re trying to capture more formal couple images, then try out this simple option, where one partner leans back against a couch while the other leans on their chest.

For the most meaningful images, try shooting at the couple’s house (and on their favorite sofa!).

21. The classic maternity pose

While I’ve focused on engagement and wedding couple poses for most of this article, it does pay to think about maternity couple poses – just in case.

Of course, you can always use some of the poses that I’ve shared, though you may to want to consider this careful maternity pose pose:

It looks nice for pretty much any couple, it’s romantic, and it’s a bit emotional. Be sure to pay attention to both subjects’ hands!

Couple poses: final words

Now that you’ve finished this article, you’re ready to try out some couple poses during your next session!

So commit these poses to memory. Experiment. See how well they work!

Now over to you:

Which of these poses for couples do you plan to use first? Which do you like best? Are there any poses that you dislike? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

This guest post was written by Kaspars Grinvalds from Posing App.